Chapter 118: The Siege Defense

When Ding saw Jin Xi issuing orders to prepare for battle, he finally realized that the Great Xia army was about to launch an attack.

Following the other soldiers, he helped carry military supplies—arrows, logs, and stones—up to the ramparts. Ding noted that the walls of Dingbian County were nowhere near as sturdy as those of Yongzhou City. It seemed a daunting task to defend such a dilapidated fortress. He stood on the battlements and gazed into the distance. The terrain to the north of the county was flat and open, providing no cover—a landscape perfectly suited for the nomadic cavalry.

Against cavalry, infantry had no choice but to be overrun; they possessed no capacity for counter-attacks unless they relied on archery to strike the horsemen down before they could charge. Jin Xi directed his men in their defensive preparations, even ordering large cauldrons to be placed on the walls to boil water, ready to be poured onto any enemy forces that reached the base of the walls. It appeared he was a commander with significant experience in siege warfare.

While Dingbian City readied its defenses, Ba Latian was galloping toward the city. He, too, had received word that tens of thousands of reinforcements had suddenly arrived at Dingbian. Li Daocheng deeply regretted not having captured the city sooner. However, his strategist, Mao Yanshun, proposed a plan: split their forces into two paths—one to assault Dingbian, the other to seize Pubian. If Dingbian sent troops to reinforce Pubian, they would ambush the relief force en route, as the nomads excelled in open-field combat. If Dingbian did not send help, Pubian would fall easily, and after securing it, they could double back to assist the assault on Dingbian.

Upon hearing this, Li Daocheng praised the plan, commending Mao Yanshun for his brilliant tactical mind. The strategy was put into motion.

At dusk, the two-thousand-strong force led by Ba Latian and Han Qianhu arrived outside the north gate of Dingbian. Without resting, they immediately arrayed their lines and began taunting the defenders. Huang Wenlong and his officers stood on the gatehouse, looking down to see the nomads' banners fluttering, blades and spears bristling, and ranks perfectly aligned. Despite their long march, the soldiers showed no signs of fatigue; they were truly a fierce and predatory force.

Seeing Ba Latian hurling insults from below, Huang Wenlong dared not engage. He feared that opening the gates would invite an immediate breach. After shouting insults for some time without receiving a response, Ba Latian swung his mace and roared, "Attack the city!"

Suddenly, the air was filled with the battle cries of the nomads as they charged toward the north gate like wolves and tigers.

"Fire!" Huang Wenlong commanded his troops to retaliate.

For a moment, arrows flew from the ramparts like a swarm of locusts. Rain-like, they descended, leaving wails of agony in their wake. The nomads returned fire, causing significant casualties among the defenders.

Standing at a corner of the wall, Ding watched the scene, thinking that the current bows were too slow and lacked range. If he could scale up his repeating crossbow, it would surely be far more effective than the bows the soldiers were currently using. Originally part of the cavalry, he had been kept on the walls due to the rush of preparations. Seeing the nomads capable of shooting arrows all the way to the high ramparts, he could not help but admire their immense physical strength.

After several exchanges of fire, both sides suffered heavy losses. Then, the nomadic infantry brought out their shields, forming a wall to cover the soldiers advancing behind them. Seeing that archery was no longer effective, Huang Wenlong signaled for the archers to stop and ordered, "Prepare the logs; once they reach the base of the wall, crush them with the logs and stones."

Before long, the shield-bearers reached the walls, some setting up scaling ladders while others used battering rams against the gate. Huang Wenlong shouted, "Drop them!"

The soldiers on the walls began hurling stones and logs down. The area below was instantly filled with cries of pain. For the nomads, siege warfare was their least favorite endeavor; they often suffered heavy losses, sometimes losing tens of thousands of men to take a single city. Since their own lands were vast but sparsely populated, their people were a precious resource. They often raided near the border regions every year, occasionally taking captives to bolster their numbers.

As Ba Latian directed the assault, he wondered if the forces of Wanni Ba and Fang Choupi had already captured Pubian. Why had they not arrived to support him yet? Huang Wenlong, meanwhile, was also worried about Pubian, hoping that Commander Wei had arrived in time to hold the city against the fierce nomads.

Just then, a scout climbed onto the wall, bowed, and reported, "Reporting to the commander, Commander Wei has just sent word that they were ambushed by the nomads on their way. Their main force is now surrounded and is awaiting rescue."

Huang Wenlong nearly fainted upon hearing this. That was an army of twenty thousand—how could they have been ambushed so easily? If they lost those troops, it would be a catastrophic blow. He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Where is Commander Wei currently located?"

"About thirty miles to the northeast of Dingbian City," the scout replied.

"Understood." Huang Wenlong signaled for the scout to withdraw and shouted, "Where is Commander Jin?"

"Present!" Jin Xi stepped forward to salute.

"I am ordering you to assemble five thousand cavalry. Ride with all speed to a location thirty miles northeast of Dingbian to rescue Commander Wei. Assist him in reaching Pubian to secure the city," Huang Wenlong commanded.

"Understood! I accept the order!" Jin Xi led his men and turned to descend the wall.

Only now did Ding realize that Huang Wenlong was the same officer who had specifically requested his transfer to the front lines on the day he reported for duty. He hadn't paid close attention before, but now he recognized him clearly.

Ding followed Jin Xi off the walls. Jin Xi selected five thousand cavalrymen and led them out through the east gate in secret. Ding and his five roommates were among the rescue party. Having overheard the dialogue between the scout and Huang Wenlong, Ding knew the purpose of their mission.

Unlike the defensive battle on the walls, this was a direct charge to the front lines. Whether he would survive depended entirely on his own fate. On the road, Ding couldn't help but inwardly curse Commander Wei for being such a fool—to be ambushed and surrounded while leading twenty thousand men was truly incompetent.

Thirty miles was not far for cavalry, and they arrived before long. Ding saw a sea of people—the nomads' banners fluttered everywhere, forming a massive encirclement. They were driving their horses and charging into the trap.

"Brothers, let's charge and slaughter them!" Jin Xi swung his broadsword and ordered.

"Charge! Kill!" The cavalry unit led by Jin Xi surged toward the nomadic encirclement as if driven by a blood-frenzy.